24 DAYS

By Fiona Harewood and Donald McKinnie Jr. DMin

In a world that has apparently gone mad, it appears as if people are replacing the Bible with guns. Safety seems to be a myth. TV, the Internet, print media, and the radio bombard us with tragic events, that shatter our communities and, ultimately, our world. Although the situation appears dismal, Author Fiona Harewood believes that prayer is st

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hope
• Release date: Jun 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9780983877431

Fiona Harewood

Fiona Harewood always wanted to be an author, but never really thought it possible until she started working as a part-time housekeeper for Karen E. Quinones Miller, bestselling author of “Satin Doll”, and other novels. One day while washing dishes, she told Miller of her dream. “Put together what you have, and I’ll critique it and let you know,” Miller told her. Harewood didn’t need to hear anything else. Miller was pleased with what she saw. Harewood joined Miller’s writers’ group, Evening Star, in April 2002. Prior to embarking on her dream career, Harewood was educated in Guyana, South America, where she grew up. Before migrating to the United States in February 2001, she lived in Barbados, West Indies for thirteen years and worked in the airline industry. Harewood has since finished a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies and a Master’s in Public Policy at Drexel University. While working on her bachelor’s degree, Harewood authored a piece of work titled, “Men You Have a Place in the Paralegal Field, Too.” This article was published in the Philadelphia Forum. After completing her bachelor’s program, Harewood decided to encourage people who have dropped out of school to return to academia so they, too, could achieve the personal satisfaction that a full education can bring. This triggered the writing of her book – “I Did It, You Can, Too!” Her hope is twofold: 1) that dropouts who read her book will consider returning to academia and build a better future for themselves, their family and their community as a whole; 2) that demotivated students would also find encouragement from “I Did It, You Can, Too!” believe in themselves and know that dropping out is not an option. Harewood also conducts motivational workshops and seminars in this regard. She lives in Philadelphia with her family and works as a Staff Assistant with the Federal Government. Harewood is currently finishing her third book.

Book preview

Endorsements

"One of the things I love about the author is the depth and authenticity she displays as she shares her story of abuse; she is real, and her story is very relatable for victims of domestic violence. Her genuineness has the power to break the chains of darkness experienced by the abused. In her new book she brings a rather unique modality to dealing with and healing the pain of adversity -twelve impactful devotional testimonies about how she discovered and utilized the power of prayer. …relying on the Problem Solver and not focusing on the problem. This book is riveting; it is a must read. Thanks, Fiona!"

–Dr. Sonia M. Smith, Founder and Director of Family Matters Counseling and Consulting Services

"24 Days: Prayer to the Rescue Series is a remarkable read. Each chapter shows the importance of prayer and what happens when we pray. It reveals that prayer is important and we are wealthy when it is a part of our lives."

–Hollis A. Charles, Sr. Hospital Care Investigator

"I was truly awed by reading Ms. Harewood’s book, 24 Days - Prayer to the Rescue. It chronicles real life events about how, through earnest and sometimes even simple prayer and supplication to God, miraculous things can happen in our lives. They ranged from those as major as the saving of lives, the restoration of a marriage, and protection during a storm, to having the key to unlock a door, all with the understanding that God sometimes says No. The book is not only an inspiration to those who are ready to end their marriages; it assures us that if we pray without ceasing God will come through for us – if it’s His will – no matter how great or small the request is."

–Tanya Bloomfield, Assistant Principal

To truly understand the Power of Prayer you must experience it; only then will you have the authority to expound on it. The author shared her lived experiences with fervor. This narrative is guaranteed to change lives and give hope to anyone who is challenged by life’s crucibles.

–Denese Clue, Deputy Assistant Director

24 Days

Prayer to the Rescue

A Series by

Fiona Harewood

Hope Publishers

We Empower! You Overcome!

24 Days is a compilation of individual testimonies.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible references are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright© 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations from the Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee.

Cambridge University Press.

All the stories related in this book are true, but some of the names have been changed or omitted to protect the privacy of the people mentioned.

24 Days: Prayer to the Rescue

Copyright© 2022 by Fiona Harewood. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Published by Hope Publishers

All rights reserved. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the author.

Identifiers:

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022909655

ISBN: 978-0-9838774-2-4 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-0-9838774-3-1 (ebook)

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Hope Publishers, nor does Hope Publishers vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

Book cover designed by Raman Bhardwaj

Also by Fiona Harewood

I DID IT . . . YOU CAN TOO!

View book trailer and receive a free excerpt at:

https://fionaharewood.com/i-did-it-you-can-too/

RIVER NEVER SMOOTH:

RECLAIMING POWER AFTER ABUSE

View book trailer and receive a free excerpt at:

https://fionaharewood.com/river-never-smooth/

Self-Love: The Key To Successful Relationships

(The Pandemic Within A Pandemic)

View Trailer & Introduction to this online course here:

https://fionaharewood.com/online-course/

YouTube Channel here:

Icon Description automatically generated youtube.com/c/FionaHarewoodHopePublishers

DEDICATION

In loving memory of my best friend,

the late June Ann Reid

You epitomized the servant leader.

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Part I: My Warfare Mode of Prayers

One – Still in the Saving Business

Two – The Devil’s Agenda – to Kill us . . . BUT GOD!

Three – 24 Days

Part II: My Perseverance Mode of Prayers

Four – An Immigrant’s Story

Five – The Day He Blessed and Made Holy

Six – Faith in Action!

Part III: My Relaxed Mode of Prayers

Seven – Shelter in a Storm

Eight – $2.00 Multiplied More Than 100 Times

Nine – Turn the Doorknob!

Ten – Hidden From Their ‘Eyes’

Eleven – Even Before I Prayed

Twelve – Pick up the Receiver

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Foreword

Every great story has a hero! In the book you are now holding, 24 Days: Prayer to the Rescue, Fiona Harewood shares some unbelievable stories. The personal experiences she relates are incredible, inspiring, and even miraculous. Yet, more significantly, they are also true. I know this because of my personal acquaintance with the author, and because I am a first-hand witness to some of the events she describes. But although told by Fiona, this book really isn’t about her. She is not the heroine. The hero of the story is the God who has revealed Himself in the pages of the Bible.

In 24 Days: Prayer to the Rescue, God is revealed as the great Problem-Solver and through the real-life experiences it describes, we discover that prayer is the avenue by which God is invited to become involved in our lives. In fact, in the Bible, God is repeatedly inviting us to allow Him to help us in our circumstances. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory (Psalm 50:15 NLT). God says call on Me – that is pray to Me – when you are in trouble, and I will deliver you. That is Prayer to the Rescue!

I believe the testimonies shared in this book will build your faith in God. I have found that prayer and faith are inseparable. They are like Siamese twins—you cannot see one without seeing the other. If we believe in God and believe that He is able to solve our problems, then we will be encouraged to call on Him, and ask Him to handle whatever we’re dealing with.

As you journey through this book, you will find that the Hero of these stories restores broken relationships, pays college tuition, defies disease, tells the truth, locates the things we have lost, and overturns governmental systems. He is the God who opens closed doors and makes a way when there seems to be no way!

It is these experiences that convince us that God, indeed, is good, and persuades us to trust Him. This is so important because while God answers every prayer, He does not always answer at the time or in the way we anticipate. We need the faith to believe that God is trustworthy even when He chooses not to answer our prayers in the way we had hoped. The Hero of this story is a wise and loving Father and just as a child trusts her parent, without being able to fully understand why he sometimes tell her No, we too can trust that God’s heart only desires what is best for us.

Along with the author, I pray that 24 Days: Prayer to the Rescue will lead you to realize that we can trust God in every situation.

–Donald C. McKinnie, Jr., DMin.

Senior Pastor

Introduction

CAN’T YOU SEE I’M ON THE PHONE? I screamed over the sound of the radio my husband was blasting. He knew quite well that I had just begun a conversation with a sister from my church. Shouting those words resulted in war! Before that moment, our lives were like a ticking time bomb. My current husband, Paul, was my third, and yet I still hadn’t found my happily ever after. Instead of living harmoniously and enjoying each other, the chasm between us widened each day. While I enjoyed going to church and serving the Lord, Paul didn’t care much for that part of my life. We were living under the same roof but leading separate lives.

If things didn’t change soon, our marriage would be over. I couldn’t continue in this unhappy relationship, especially when it seemed as though I was the only one who was trying to make the marriage work. The next day – my 54th birthday – I woke up deciding that I wasn’t going to do it anymore. It would be better to do bad all by myself, I thought. I stuffed most of my clothes and personal items into my car and drove to a friend’s house. I didn’t really want to end my marriage, but I felt that drastic measures needed to be taken.

My husband was stubborn, so it made no sense trying to reason with him. Before going to bed that night, I called Paul at his job.

When you get home, I will not be there, and I will not be coming back. Ever. There was a pregnant pause at the other end of the line. When he finally answered, his voice had lost some of its bravado.

What are you saying? I don’t understand, he said.

I’ve tried long and hard to keep this marriage together, but it is not working. I turned 54 years old today and I am not going to spend the rest of my life being miserable and unhappy. I’ve had enough. Goodnight. Powering off my cell phone, I retired for the evening.

That night, I laid in bed thinking about all the problems Paul and I were encountering in our marriage. I felt helpless and didn’t believe anything could make our situation better. Eventually, I prayed, talking to God about our marriage and about us. After praying, I laid, silently thinking. Then something hit me. Have you ever experienced one of those aha moments? Well, I had one of those moments. It was the recognition of that moment – which I will share with you later – that changed everything. After acting based on that realization, I had my husband and my marriage back within a week. That awareness became the basis of this book.

For the most part, sustaining a marriage is challenging. Distractions can create more tension in a relationship that may already be fraying around the edges. They may take the form of sophisticated women and attractive men vying for attention at the workplace; after-work bars; or the many business trips taken without the spouse or partner. Financial pressures, the illness of a spouse, or the demands of one’s job, can also disrupt harmony in relationships. Just as it is necessary to nurture our children, attend to our health, and plan for our future, we need to continuously work at our relationships. If neither party cares, nor seeks to strengthen the relationship, it may eventually break down – perhaps even become irreparable. Similarly, in every situation with which we are confronted, our actions determine the outcome.

According to the article, Divorce Statistics and Facts in the United States, every 13 seconds, someone, somewhere, files for divorce.¹ The article cites eight years as the average life span of a first marriage and notes that 66% of divorce filings are made by women. Further, statistics revealed 639,000 divorce filings in the United States in 1969, with that number almost doubling ten years later to 1,181,000. While there seems to have been a decline in the divorce rate in the 2000’s, experts believe that this is attributable to fewer people getting married as opposed to longer lasting unions as folks were either living alone or cohabitating more.

I wanted my marriage to last, but I was tired of being tired. So, while in bed at my friend’s house, I thought about our marriage and all the remedies I had tried to make things better. I thought about friends who had shared with me their attempts to heal their own broken marriages. It seemed as if we were all suffering from a critical flaw in how we tried to hold our marriages together or solve the major problems that confronted us. As a matter of fact, even those whose marriages could be considered almost perfect still needed to learn that secret.

As I mentioned earlier, restoring my marriage was one of the outcomes I anticipated after my aha moment. Having found the answer for which most people were searching, I began coaching others about how to deal not only with marital problems, but also with other life’s difficulties. This was made possible because of the remarkably simple insight I discovered while talking to God about Paul, our marriage, and myself. Since then, I have noticed that regardless of the situation in which my husband and I find ourselves, whether it be coping with illness, grieving the death of loved ones, or navigating financial hardship, we are able to handle these problems so much better than we could previously.

This book presents a startlingly simple but often overlooked fact that will transform how you deal with any problem or difficulty, despite what life throws at you. When faced with problems, if we are honest, many of us would have to admit that our first line of defense is to turn to a friend or family member for advice. At other times, we concoct our own solutions which may involve